Early Bird Shoppers Rise for Black Friday

Tallahassee, FL - Marie Jones says she's looking for toys to buy so that she can donate to Toys for Tots. Black Friday was the perfect time for her to shop for them.

She says, "Every year my friend comes up from Hollywood to be with her daughter. We all group together and get up at 0 dark :30 to go out shopping."

The American Research Group says shoppers around the country say they are planning to spend an average of 854 dollars for gifts this holiday season.

That's a 32 percent increase from last year.

Jones says, "The strategy is look over the adds on Thanksgiving Day and plan your route."

Some stores, such as Walmart and Toys R Us, started their "Black Friday" deals on Thursday night.

Target opened at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Things started slowing down about two or three hours into the doorbuster at the location on Thomasville Road in Tallahassee, but, the doors were still open for those making their shopping rounds throughout Friday morning.

Shopper Becky Perry says, "This is not my first Black Friday. But, it's my first one in a while. Normally I don't come. It was peer pressure that brought me out. But, hopefully I'll find some good deals."

One customer described how the line at the Target Store on Thomasville Road in Tallahassee was Thursday night. "I was like oh my gosh, the line just wrapped around and around."

Becky Perry says she wasn't among the crowd. "I have a four-year-old. We was in the bed."

Cara Perry says, "This is actually my first year. I've never done this before." When asked what made her do it this year, she said, "That crazy one right there."

The crazy one Perry was referring to is her family member Christy Wool. She says Wool peer pressured Cara and Becky into getting up at 4:50 a.m. to go shopping.

Wool says, "This is not my first rodeo."

She has a T-shirt to prove it. Her shirt says, "Expert Black Friday Shopper."

Wool says, "We went to Walmart at 8, and then got home. I went to bed about 12 and got up at ten 'til 5."

Regardless of what time shoppers showed up, employees here at Target were fully staffed, fully stocked and ready to serve.

Target Team Manager Rob Thompson says, "We had every register opened. We had plenty of team members out there on the floor to help the guest with whatever they were looking for."

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